Overview
- The Punjab School Education Board approved ending the use of date of birth to break ties and pledged that students with identical marks will receive the same rank, a decision announced on Tuesday, June 9.
- The move came after students raised the issue at the May 31 'Sitare Zameen Te' felicitation where Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann directed the board to review the practice.
- Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains said future question papers will be redesigned by subject experts to test understanding, reasoning and analytical skills rather than rote memorisation.
- PSEB chairman Dr Amarpal Singh said detailed guidelines on joint ranking and the new exam formats will be issued ahead of the next board examination cycle to set implementation rules and timelines.
- Officials framed the reforms as steps to reduce age-based disadvantage, discourage copying and paper leaks by making questions less recall-based, and shift assessment toward competency and conceptual learning.